County seeks to include Highway Dept. in premium pay and rescind EMA apprenticeship resolution

The County Solid Waste, Public Safety and Budget Committees met on Monday, November 1, 2021, to discuss including the Highway Department Employees in the premium pay for county employees and rescinding the resolution which hired Terry Cotham as an apprentice to the EMA Director.

County Mayor Jonah Keltner said that at the time Mr. Cotham took the position, it was understood that it would be unpaid but the county would reimburse Mr. Cotham for his travel expenses and registration fees for mandatory training classes, workshops and events for the position. It was not explicitly discussed or written in the resolution, but was assumed that the position would be available for Mr. Cotham to take over within the year. According to Mayor Keltner, EMA Director Danny Atkinson had talked about retiring later than a year. In turn, Mr. Cotham requested to have the apprenticeship be a paid position and the county declined. The resolution will be rescinded and discussed at the upcoming County Commission meeting on November 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the courtroom of the courthouse.

Authorizing Highway Department Premium Pay

The Budget Committee also discussed including the Highway Department in the county employee premium pay for working through Covid last year. The Highway Department was not originally included in the bonus pay plan because their pay is administered by the state and not by the county. Commissioners Patrick Halfacre and Aren Ragsdale have sponsored a resolution to go before the full commission that would include them in the bonus pay.

The resolution stated that full-time employees who have worked at the Highway Department since July 1, 2020, as a full-time employee “shall receive a one-time payment of $1,000 in November of 2021 if they are still an employee at that time.” The part-time employees who have worked within the same time frame and are still employed will receive a one-time payment of $500 in November.

Similar to the resolution that had previously passed for county-paid employees, there will also be another one-time payment of $1,000 to full time employees and another $500 payment to part-time employees in May to employees who have worked at the Highway Department since January 1, 2022.

The resolution will apply to 16 employees and will cost the County $15,500 of the American Rescue Plan Act grant money for the 2020 fiscal year. As of now, the 2022 bonus pay will apply to 18 employees and will cost $18,000 of the ARPA funds.

Accepting Low Bid to Tear Down Old House at 407 North Oak

All three committees were made aware that the house sitting on property the county had recently purchased was not in good condition and needed to be torn down.

The job was put up for bid and the lowest bidder was Oakley Carroll with Oakley Farms at $4,850 to tear down and remove the house at 407 North Oak. He also offered to clear brush and flatten the site, leaving only large trees. There will be a resolution that goes before the full commission to be approved.

Sonnenschein Green Initiative Donated Recycling Bins

Mayor Keltner was happy to announce to the committees that the Sonnenschein Green Initiative, a local nonprofit organization, purchased 25 cattle panels to be used in the cardboard recycling program.

The panels will be placed at businesses who were on the waiting list to receive a recycling bin for their cardboard boxes that are picked up by Transfer Station employees every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This now makes over 80 businesses that are participating in the program.

County Trail Balance Report and Lewis County Sales Tax Revenue

Mayor Keltner announced to the committees that the County General Fund, according to the Trial Balance Report, stands at $1,703,662.03 and the Solid Waste Fund is at $227,416.13 as of 11:30 on Monday morning.

The County General fund is still owed $94,147 from the USDA for the airport runway project. That fund is also owed approximately $30,000 from the state regarding the Parks Master Plan Grant. There is approximately $75,381 in the General Fund that will pay off two Sheriff’s Deputy vehicles that have yet to be received since their order made in 2020.

Approximately $300,000 of the General Fund has to be spent by June 30, 2022, as a part of the second Local Government Support Grant.

Mayor Keltner also announced that Lewis County was sixth in the state for sales tax revenue growth. In September 2019, Lewis County had only $68,504.22 in sales tax revenue. It increased to $127,658.04 in September of 2020 and then continued to rise to $188,149.30 in September of this year, which is a growth of 175 percent.